Derek Yu
| birth_place = Pasadena, California | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = American | occupation = Game designer, artist, blogger | website = http://www.derekyu.com/ }} Derek Yu (born July 2, 1982) is an American indie game designer, artist, and blogger. Yu is known for a number of indie games he helped design: Spelunky, Aquaria, and Eternal Daughter.4cr Interview - Derek Yu 4colorrebellion.com, September 30, 2005 He is also known for blogging and creating websites about independent video games. Gameography Under Blackeye Software Early on, he was associated with a freeware game website solely distributing its own software, including Diabolika (year unknown), Diabolika II (2003), and Eternal Daughter (2002).Blackeye software profile reloaded.org Eternal Daughter the-underdogs.org (Archive.org cache) ''Eternal Daughter'' Eternal Daughter (2002) is a throwback platform game that was developed over a two-year period using Multimedia Fusion. ''I'm O.K. – A Murder Simulator'' A small run-and-gun game that Yu helped create, I'm O.K (2006) is a low-resolution game created by a small team of four people in response to Jack Thompson's open letter "A Modest Video Game Proposal" regarding gun violence and any possible tie-in to violent video games. Later games Yu has worked on several indie games sold outside of traditional distribution channels. ''Aquaria'' screenshot]] A collaboration between Yu and Alec Holowka,Road To The IGF: Bit Blot's Aquaria gamasutra.com, October 23, 2006 Aquaria (2007) is a side-scrolling video game that takes place underwater. It won the Independent Games Festival's 2007 Seumas McNally Grand Prize,2007 Finalists and Winners: 2007 Independent Games Festival Winners Independent Games Festival Official Site was available as a download,IGS: Inside The Making Of Aquaria gamasutra.com, February 18, 2008Aquaria Sets Sale On Steam kotaku.com, Dec 17, 2008 and was also sold in a Humble Indie Bundle. According to Yu, "Not only did Aquaria sell well enough that Holowka and I could continue making games full time, but the positive feedback we received from players and critics also validated us as artists and helped to put to rest our doubts about whether we were making something worthwhile." However, Bit Blot has yet to produce another title, and the last update to the company's website occurred in 2011. Yu and Holowka live in separate countries, and Holowka cited the long distance nature of the collaboration as a source of tension during a 2008 interview.Inside Job: Interview; Aquaria Creators Derek Yu, Alec Holowka (page 2/5) escapistmagazine.com, 18 January 2008 ''Spelunky'' Spelunky (2008) is a retro platform game with randomized level generation similar to roguelike games. It is reminiscent of the 1983 game Spelunker. It was released as a freeware game in 2008, and was remade for Xbox 360 in 2012; PC Gamer UK chose the remake of Spelunky as its 2013 game of the year. Yu is working on a sequel, Spelunky 2. Other games Yu created the tileset graphics for DoomRL, a roguelike game based on the popular series, in development since 2002. He designed a level in Super Mario Maker for the website Polygon s "Devs Make Mario" series. In 2014, he designed the card game Time Barons with Jon Perry. Bibliography * References External links *Derek Yu's website Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Chinese descent Category:Artists from Pasadena, California Category:Video game artists Category:Video game designers Category:Independent video game developers